Two Upper Sixth Formers experienced an Easter break never to be forgotten after they represented England in the U18 Rugby Six Nations Festival held at Parma’s Stadio Sergio Lanfranchi in Italy.
Upper Sixth Former, Jonny Weimann
After a winter spent training with the England’s U18 Development Camp, Jonny Weimann and Aiden Ainsworth-Cave were thrilled to be named on the squad for the tournament by England U18 Men’s head coach Jonathan Pendlebury.
The call-up was a milestone moment in the boys’ rugby career, especially for Jonny, who also made his senior Northampton Saints debut on 15 March in a 24-10 friendly win against Sale Sharks.
Both boys had already been capped at Under-18 level, recently playing in a friendly against France, but this impressive selection in the squad for the Six Nations Festival was quite literally a “dream come true” for the boys.
England faced three fixtures over eight days and kicked off with a crunch match against Wales on 30 March before facing Scotland the following Wednesday, and then competition newcomers, Georgia on Sunday 7 April.
Upper Sixth Former Aiden Ainsworth-Cave, Scotland v England in the Stadio Lanfranchi, Parma, Italy (Photo by Federico Zovadelli/Actionpress)
Aiden, who played in the first two games of the tournament against Wales and Scotland told us, “It was a surreal experience and one which I will not forget. To be able to say that I have played in a Six Nations game at U18 level is something that not many people can say that they have done, so I am very grateful to have had the experience.
“Standing on the pitch, singing the national anthem before playing in one of the most historic rugby rivalries, England vs Wales was a particular stand-out moment. Representing your country at age grade level is obviously only the first step but being able to train and play with and against some of the best players in the Northern Hemisphere at U18 level is only a motivator to keep on getting better.”